Everyone loves a journal cover, but making one requires a bit of math to figure out the wrap and the perfect amount of extra fabric to tuck under at the edges. Right? Wrong! My quilting friend, Lee Monroe of May Chappell Designs has developed a great Scrappy Journal tutorial that includes a downloadable worksheet with fill-in-the-blanks for your specific journal's measurements. The result is just about as math-less as possible! Since she has done all the work and provided a step by step tutorial for creating our own personalized cover, we have no excuse to not have a beautiful journal cover! You'll find her worksheet available in the Scrappy Journal tutorial link above.
I used one of my favorite fabric lines, Sweet as Honey, by Bonnie Christine for Art Gallery Fabrics. I did a bit of fussy cutting for the patchwork, and then I had fun quilting it with my Baby Lock Sashiko machine! It looks like true hand stitching, but is done in a fraction of the time! By the way, the Sashiko machine has many other facets of performance. You'll find a myriad of Sashiko ideas on Evy Hawkin's blog, A Bit of Stitch.
You could omit piecing the cover altogether by using just one fabric for the entire cover...which would be a great place to feature your favorite fabric or practice your machine quilting skills (or let your quilting artistry shine)! A small project is the perfect way to try out a new skill or design.
So stop over at Lee's fun website, and while there, check out all her tutorials, tips and beautiful patterns. You can even sign up for her weekly Tuesday tip to be emailed directly to your inbox.
Enjoy making your journal cover! Thanks for visiting! Happy sewing, and God bless. Maxie
